Summer school is hot

Many summer school programs are offered. Using Google, countless possibilities can be easily found. Out of the many, only a few have the look and feel of a festival. More than 300 students from no less than 42 countries attended the fifth edition of CuriousU, the summer school of the University of Twente (UT). All students are in the last or penultimate year of their bachelor's degree or are pursuing a master's degree. They stayed in a tent on campus or slept - because of the bad weather - in the sports hall of the UT.

Because students voluntarily choose to attend a summer school, the atmosphere is nice and casual. Every morning kicked off with an inspiring speaker during breakfast. The students would then attend a specific program, covering both theoretical and practical activities and lasting around three hours. This session is followed by lunch in a big tent, where the educational activities continue. Of course, the unique and high-tech labs at the UT were visited, such as the “wearable robotics lab”. With CuriousU, the UT focuses on technology with a ‘human touch’. The summer school is concluded with a ceremony, during which all participants receive a certificate.

The ROC van Twente also offers a summer school program. Among the subjects offered are mathematics and chemistry. Both current students and students from secondary education that have applied to start at the ROC after summer are welcome to join. The summer school is a free and voluntary course for pupils and students who have not yet completed some subjects in secondary education. To be prepared for their upcoming educational program, they are educated in small groups by teachers from the ROC.

Technological developments are happening at an exponentially increasing pace and have a major impact on both the world of today and tomorrow. Employees must adapt to be able to keep up with developments in the field of robotics. Students, the employees of tomorrow, are expected to be familiar with these new technologies and to be able to deal with future developments. To that extent, they are taught an extensive range of knowledge. ROC is committed to lifelong learning because it is one of the value determinants in the labour market. In the continuous learning cycle to further develop, time is needed – and summer turns out to be an excellent moment.